inviting applications and nominations for the director … · learning, teaching, and research...

INVITING APPLICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS FOR THE

Director of Digital Services and Open Educational Resources

2 | Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative Myers McRae Executive Search

The Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative (FALSC) invites applications

and nominations for Director of Digital Services and Open Educational

Resources (OER). Committed to making higher education more affordable in

Florida, FALSC and the Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) are currently pushing

to promote the use of open resources at the state’s 40 public colleges and

universities, while FALSC continues its efforts to provide solutions for digital

archiving and collections. The Director will oversee all aspects of Digital

Services and OER, including Islandora, the Florida Digital Archive, and Florida

Online Journals.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative (FALSC) provides services, support, and resources for the state’s public, post-secondary academic libraries. Established by statute, it is part of the Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) and is administered by the University of West Florida (UWF) Innovation Institute.

For the library professional, FALSC offers great opportunity for leadership and growth:

• Join a forward-thinking team focused on service and innovation.

• Contribute to the success of 40 colleges and universities, more than 150 campus libraries, and nearly 1.3 million students, faculty, and staff.

• Contributetoyourfieldonboththenationalandinternationallevelsthroughparticipation in organizations such as the International Coalition of Library Consortia.

For member libraries, FALSC provides:

FALSCby the

NUMBERS

Serves Nearly

1.3MILLION

students, faculty, & staff across

FLORIDA

at

150+CAMPUSLIBRARIES

for

40COLLEGES &UNIVERSITIES

with ashared statewide

collection of

nearly

29MILLIONitems

Director of Digital Services and Open Educational Resources at the Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative

Myers McRae Executive Search WWW.FALSC.ORG | 3

• A state-of-the-art integrated library system (ILS) along with a shared catalog and a statewide collection of online journals, e-books, and other e-resources

• Support for open educational resources and digital collections

• In-person and online training, professional development, and consultation for library staff

• A statewide Help Desk offering support to staff and students

This is an exciting time to join FALSC, as the organization and member libraries are transitioning to a next-generation ILS. This multi-year effort marks the largest transition to an integrated academic library catalog/discovery system in Florida’s history.

FALSC and its predecessor organizations have worked with postsecondary libraries for more than 30 years. Though consortial in nature, FALSC is not a true library consortium. It is advised rather than directed by institutions through a

Members Council on Library Services. FALSC’s success, however, is ultimately determined by the value of its work to the libraries it serves.

FALSChasofficesinTallahasseeandGainesville,twocollege and university towns situated in the green, forested landscape of northern Florida, and works with UWF administrators in Pensacola.

For more information on the organization, visit FALSC.org.

THE POSITION

The Director of Digital Services and Open Educational Resources (OER) leads the Digital Services workgroup, basedinFALSC’sGainesvilleoffice,andreportsdirectlyto the organization’s Executive Director. The Director is responsible for setting strategic direction for all digital services, and plans, develops, and directs work related to digital services and OER.

Through a process of information gathering, data analysis,

Statement of Purpose

The Florida Academic Library Services

Cooperative is established to provide a single

library automation system and associated

resources and services that all public

postsecondary institutions shall use to support

learning, teaching, and research needs.

Florida Statue 1006.73 (1)


Digital collections at Florida’s public postsecondary institutions preserve a wide range of historic materials.

4 | Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative Myers McRae Executive Search

and market research, the Director creates strategies for the preservation and dissemination of digital archival materials, evaluates the feasibility of implementing new versions of digital platforms, and provides recommendations for the use and distribution of open-access textbooks and open educational resources.

Digital services and applications under the Director’s oversight include the statewide digital library platform Islandora, Florida Online Journals (Florida OJ), Archon/ArchivesSpace, the Florida Digital Archive (FDA) and Dark Archive in the Sunshine State (DAITSS), and the Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) program.

In regards to OER, the administrator works collaboratively with the Distance Learning and Student Services (DLSS) division of FLVC to develop services and programs promoting the use and proliferation of open-access textbooks and open educational resources at Florida’s public colleges and universities. The Director evaluates the options for successful implementation of OER materials as well as the potential cost involved.

The Director also is responsible for the development and implementation of policies related to the FALSC’s primary services and products and the communication of those policiestolibraryaffiliatesandliaisons.

The Director works closely with librarians throughout the State University System (SUS) and Florida College System (FCS) regarding digital services, and serves as the organizational liaison to statewide SUS and FCS library committees concerned with these topics.

Additional Responsibilities

• Participates in the hiring process for workgroup positions and manages assigned staff, including planning and approval of workloads, and preparation and completion

of performance evaluations and improvement plans.• Ensures technical support is appropriately provided

by working with FLVC’s Division of Information Technology (DoIt) Business Relations Manager.

• Performs work in support of organizational processes and projects.

• Performs time-sensitive tasks and meets established deadlines.

• Maintains effective communications with appropriate FALSC staff.

• Maintains effective working relationships to ensure the success of the organizational processes and projects.

Some evening and weekend work may be required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum requirements are a master’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization and six years of appropriate experience; or a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization and eight years of appropriate experience.

A master’s degree in library and/or information science or equivalent degree from an ALA-accredited program and six years of professional experience in an academic research library or an academic library consortium, including at least two years of experience in digital services/archives and management, are strongly preferred.

Otherpreferredqualificationsinclude:• Knowledge of the technical issues involved in the

preservation and delivery of electronic resources and with the legal and business issues involved in acquisition, licensing, and management of electronic resources

• Familiarity with Internet developments, electronic publishing, and digital preservation


FALSC provides training and consultation for library staff on its products and services.

Myers McRae Executive Search WWW.FALSC.ORG | 5

• Familiarity with issues in open education, open textbooks, open access, copyright, and intellectual property

• Knowledge of digital services in the higher academic environment, including digital repositories, metadata schema, and other related issues

• Understanding of scholarly communications, including the open access movement, issues surrounding author rights, copyright, and Creative Commons licenses

• Excellent written and oral communication and negotiation skills

• Working knowledge of reference and public services operations

• Supervisory experience • Understanding of issues related to open access• Excellent organizational and analytical skills • Understanding of standard business practices and good

mathematical skills • Ability to function in a collaborative, service-oriented environmentandflexibilityinadaptingtochange

• Working knowledge of spreadsheet and other software to supportthemanagementofusageandfinancialdata

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA

HometotheUniversityofFlorida,Gainesvilleisavibrant,growing city with a population of 127,000.

The city has an emerging tech sector, outstanding healthcare through UF’s Shands Hospital and other facilities, beautiful public parks and lakes, family-friendly attractions and events, and a wide array of arts and culture venues. A thriving local music scene has produced numerous national acts.

GainesvillemadeLivability.com’s 2017 100 Best Places to Live list and the top-six list of the Most Affordable Cities in Florida. The area’s mild winter allows for year-round outdoor recreation.

The city is about one hour from Florida’s west coast and anhourandahalffromitseastcoast.GainesvilleRegionalAirport offers non-stop service to Dallas, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.,andMiami,Fla.Gainesvilleisalsowithinabouttwohours from major Florida airports in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa.


The University of West Florida is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action employer. Any individual who requires special accommodations to apply is requested to advise UWF by contacting the UWF Human Resources Department at 1-850-474-2694 (voice) or 1 850 857 6114 (TTY). A criminal background check is required for successful candidates. E-Verify requirements may apply for employment in certain positions. All records submitted in support of employ-ment applications may be subject to Florida public records law.

APPLICATION & NOMINATIONS

Confidentialinquiriesarewelcomed,andnominationsareinvited.

1. Application packet must include:a. Letter of interest b. Resumec.Atleastfivereferenceswithfullcontact

information, including emails (References will not be contacted without consent from applicants.)

2. Submit application to: [email protected]

Applications received by September 15, 2017, will be given priority consideration.

Nominations should include contact information with emails for the individual nominated. Submit nominations to: [email protected]

Emily Parker Myers, CEO of Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting, is assisting the Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative with this search.

515 Mulberry Street, Suite 200 | Macon, Georgia 31201www.myersmcrae.com | 478.330.6222

A few FALSC staffers at the 2017 Florida Library Association Conference

inviting applications and nominations for the director … · learning, teaching, and research...

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